Complex well-controlled groove.
Somehow, jazz from Canada is not really in our view very often. Today it is!
Parc X trio is a Montreal-based contemporary jazz trio with Gabriel Vinuela (keys), Alex Lefaivre (bass) and Alain Bourgeois (drums).
It celebrates its 10 year existence with a 7th album called Dream.
Vinuela plays piano, but also a lot of electric piano (on his synth), which determines the sound of this trio. He is also the one with the most comprehensive solos (although all three play solos).
So, what we have here is an electric format in a contemporary jazz outfit.
Many odd meter rhythms and complex breakbeat grooves, but everything is played very smoothly. All in all, a kind of well controlled groove dominates the music.
All three band members write pieces. One of the striking features of this album is the new edit of the classic Tchaikovsky theme from Swan Lake.
In the beginning, the trio played jazz standards mostly; later on they started wrtiting their own compositions. This resulted in the first album in 2009.
They found their own voice, with complex polyrhythms, groovy beats, powerful melodies, electronic and rock elements. Their energetic live performances with extensive improv gained a lot of acclaim.
In the fall of this year the trio will be touring in Europe.